Gifata festival
Gifaata or Gifaataa is a cultural festival celebrated by the Wolayta people in the Southern Region of Ethiopia. This festival is celebrated each year in September. In this celebration, the Wolayta accept the New Year and send off the old one. Gifaata means, “the beginning,” and is also considered the bridge from old to new, dark to light. During Gifaata, the Wolayta dance and enjoy cultural foods. The significance of Gifaata is to eliminate issues of the past and start afresh, reconciling past quarrels and strengthening family and community ties moving forward.
Gifaataa is a great opportunity that Wolaitas create and strengthen their social ties through marriage arrangement, conflict resolution and gift-giving.
Wolaitas use Gifaataa as a venture to avoid bad and evil activities through elders’ counseling.
Gifaataa is a grand venture for promoting the social transformation of individuals through events like wedding.
Gifaataa is a magnificentventure that transfers indigenous language and culture of Wolaita to the next generation through event marketing.
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